Why a Carson Wentz trade won't be easy to pull off, plus the first MLB power rankings of the year

Good morning! Happy Tuesday to you and hope you're staying sane out there.

If you woke up this morning wondering why Carson Wentz hasn't been traded yet, boy, did you ever open the right email to start your day. We're gonna go over some of the complications around a potential Wentz deal shortly, but we've also got Champions League action to discuss as well (the knockout stage begins today!) Stick around for that and plenty more.

With today being a Tuesday and all, you already know that my inbox is officially open. I'd love if you could send me a question or two -- sports or anything else -- for tomorrow's mailbag (pete.blackburn@cbsinteractive.com). In case it helps provide some inspiration, here's a quick list of the things I'm currently fixated on at the moment: Hockey (duh), video games, marble racing, "Your Honor," "WandaVision" and campaigning to get Carly Rae Jepsen to follow me on Twitter. Hope that helps.

Now let's feed you what you need to know.

📰 What you need to know

1. The Eagles are having more trouble trading Carson Wentz than expected 🏈

There are quite a lot of quarterbacks that are expected (or at least speculated) to be changing teams this offseason, but one of the more discussed names on the market so far has been Carson Wentz. It sort of seems like Wentz being on the move is a no-brainer at this point, right? Both sides seem very ready to part ways.

That being said, pulling off a Wentz trade may not be as easy or as fruitful as the Eagles may have initially hoped. Our Jason La Canfora explained why in his latest NFL Insider Notes column.

Right now, the Eagles' trade talks are revolving around the Colts and Bears ... and the game of chicken being played between the teams is not close to being resolved
Wentz's $10 million roster bonus due next month "remains an elephant in the room" (it's believed the Eagles may have to swallow that financial hit to get max compensation for Wentz)
It doesn't help that the number of alternative QB options on the market (the trade block and the draft) is creating a "very limited market for Wentz"

For what it's worth, JLC says he still believes Wentz is going to get traded in the coming weeks, but it's proving to be a little trickier than expected. It seems that not many teams are interested in a 28-year-old QB coming off a career-worst year -- one that put him among the worst starting QBs in the league -- and entering the first year of a massive $128 million extension. Huh, crazy.

2. Which Champions League teams could get upset in round of 16? ⚽

Well, well, well ... look who's back? If it isn't our old friend, the Champions League.

It's been a few months since the UCL's group stage came to an end, but the tournament's knockout round will kick off on Tuesday (and because I enjoy sucking up to my bosses and keeping myself gainfully employed, here is a big fat reminder that all Champions League games are streaming on CBS All Access.)

It was a bit of a wild group stage and there's plenty of potential for things to get spicy in the knockout round, so our Roger Gonzalez has highlighted three teams that may be most at risk of falling victim to an upset in the Round of 16.

PSG (vs. Barcelona): Both of these teams have talent and Barcelona is the rightful underdog here (+100). But both teams have also dealt with inconsistency, meaning the matchup is a bit unpredictable. And with an injured Neymar sidelined for the first leg, PSG could find themselves playing from behind
Atletico Madrid (vs. Chelsea): The Spanish side are small favorites to win the first leg, but there's reason to believe in Chelsea. The Blues haven't lost a match since bringing in Thomas Tuchel to replace Frank Lampard and they've won five of their last six. They've become a much improved team under Tuchel and they've got loads of confidence behind them right now
Real Madrid (vs. Atalanta): Real Madrid has been so inconsistent, including in the group stage. They lost twice to Shakhtar and were outclassed for most of the 180 minutes against the Ukrainian side. Atalanta has plenty of speed that could give Madrid's average defense trouble

As an important reminder, all knockout stage matchups will feature two legs to decide who moves on. And did I mention you can stream all those legs on CBS All Access? Oh I did? Ok, cool.

3. Our first MLB Power Rankings of 2021 ⚾

What's this, you say? MLB Power Rankings? Surely that can't be right ... it's February and there's still snow on the ground across half the country -- including Texas!

But as hard as it may be to believe, pitchers and catchers are set to report for Spring Training on Wednesday (yes, this Wednesday) which means it's time to look ahead to the season on the horizon. Our resident baseball power rankings king, Matt Snyder, is back to provide a comprehensive ranking of the top 30 teams in baseball.

Here's who cracks the top 10 as we head into the first stage of Spring Training:

In case you were wondering, my Red Sox clock in at the No. 15 spot -- perfectly smack in the middle, which is exactly where you want to be when you're one of the richest teams in baseball. Granted, that No. 15 spot is higher than a lot of people would put them after last season, but it still absolutely pains me to see three AL East teams above them in the rankings -- especially when the Yankees are so high. Thank god for the Orioles, though.

You can find the full list (plus some analysis from Snyder) right here.

4. RIP Vincent Jackson 🏈

Some terribly sad news hit the NFL circuit on Monday when former Chargers and Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson was found dead in a Florida hotel room. He was just 38 years old.

Police are investigating Jackson's death, but say there were no apparent signs of trauma, so it's not clear what happened just yet.

Jackson played 12 NFL seasons, the last coming in 2016 with Tampa Bay
He hauled in 540 catches for 9,080 yards and 57 touchdowns (16.81 yards per catch)
He had six 1,000-yard seasons and earned three Pro Bowl selections, leading the NFL with 19.2 yards per catch in 2012

Jackson was an outstanding player on the football field -- maybe one of the more underrated receivers of his era -- but many of the tributes that poured in after the news of his death also painted him as an extremely kind and giving person in the community as well.

Just simply taken way too young.

📝 Odds & Ends

Duke's star freshman Jalen Johnson has opted out of the remainder of this season and entered the NBA Draft
Jerry Palm's latest Bracketology update is out
The Pistons are benching Blake Griffin as they explore trade options for the veteran (and Draymond Green doesn't seem to be a fan of this practice)

📺 What to watch tonight

🏀 Michigan State vs. Purdue, 7 p.m. | PUR -5.5 | TV: ESPN

🏒 Avalanche vs. Golden Knights, 10 p.m. | VGK -115 | TV: NHL Network

🏀 Nets vs. Suns, 10:30 p.m. | PHX -2 | TV: TNT

🥇 The best thing I saw yesterday

The Ottawa Senators (the worst team in the NHL) successfully managed to erase a 5-1 deficit against the Toronto Maple Leafs (one of the NHL's best teams) last night. The Senators then won on a crazy end-to-end sequence in overtime.